Transport apparatus for demounting and remounting gun-barrels



- E.'SCHNE|DER. v 7 TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR DEMOUNTING A ND'REMOUNTING GUN BARRELS,

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 31, 1919.

Patented July 6, 1920,.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

, QE. SCHNEIDER. TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR DEMOUNTING AND REMOUNTING elm BARR'ELS. V

. APPLICATION HLED MR. 31, 1919. 1 ,345 892, Patented July. 6, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A E. 'scnuzm'an. TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR DEMOUNTTNGAND REMOUNTJNG GUN BARRELS. APPLICATION FILEDJMR- 3h 1919.

1,345,892, Patented July 6, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- r. fix N L/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SCHNEIDER & CIE., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR DEMOUNTING AND REMOUNTING GUN-BARRELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

Application filed March 31, 1919. Serial No. 286,487.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, citizen of the French Republic, and a resident of 42 Rue dAnjou, Paris, France, have invented a new and useful Transport Apparatus for Demounting and Remounting Gun-Barrels, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved form of the apparatus for removing a gun barrel from its mounting for the purpose of transport, and for replacing it upon its mounting, constituting the subject matter of our invention for which a patent was applied on March 31, 1919, Serial No. 286,486.

The improved form of apparatus according to the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the present improved apparatus, showing one stage of the removing or replacing operation.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation showing another stage of the operation.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line III III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan, drawn to a smaller scale,

showing in full lines the gun in the firing position, and showing in dotted lines the gun barrel removed from the mounting after it has been rotated together with the fore axle, on a supporting jack into such a position as will allow the placing of the rear axle in order to receive the breech of the gun barrel as the latter is demounted from its carriage, or in order to move the rear axle into position for the purpose of replacing the gun barrel upon the mounting.

The same figure shows in dot and dash lines the gun barrel with the fore axle and the gun mounting platform brought into line behind one another for the purpose of removing the gun barrel from or replacing it upon the mounting.

As in the construction described in my copending application, hereinbefore referred to the present improved apparatus for transporting the gun barrel and for replacing it upon its mounting, comprises a wheeled fore axle AB, on the coupling pin of which a collar composed of two parts E-F is adapted to pivot and form bearings for the chase G of the gun barrel, between two ribs 9 formed on the latter. This wheeled fore axle is always combined with a wheeled rear axle H comprising a supporting cradle which is adapted to fit between two flanges formed on the gun barrel G a suitable distance forward of the gun breech.

The present improved apparatus for removing the gun barrel from the mounting and placing the gun barrel upon the transport vehicle, and reversely, for replacing the gun barrel upon the gun carriage, comprises as in the constructional example described in said copending application, removable slide tracks Q, hinged at their rear ends R to the gun cradle L.

According to the present invention, these slide tracks when placed on the cradle, are always held in the prolongation of the slideways of the gun cradle, both for the purposes of removal and replacement. With this object they may be connected to the gun carriage frame N by stays Q} consisting for instance of connecting rods jointed at their ends respectively to the tracks Q and the carriage frame N.

The removable tracks Q, thus fixed in 'place, are combined with an independent jack Z placed underneath the gun barrel at a .register mark G marked on the gun barrel near the center of gravity of the combined gun barrel and wheeled fore axle A-B; a slight preponderance being allowed to the forward portion connected to the'fore axle. The cross-head Z of the jack Z forms a footstep bearing for the pivot pin 9 (Fig. 3) of a cradle G serving to carry the gun barrel.

When the gun in any firing position is situated behind a covering mass, such as the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the gun barrel with the carriage frame N, can be readily rotated'on the lower platform 0 in order to bring them into a position (shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 4) where is is possible to move the gun barrel forward for the purpose of removing it from the gun carriage.

Then for effecting the removal, the wheeled fore axle on the one hand and the independent jack Z on the other hand are placed at the desired points in the vertical axial plane of the gun barrel. The gun barrel is slid along the removable tracks Q, until the chase rests in the divided collar E--F of the fore axle as shown in Fig. 1. Then the jack Z is brought as exactly as possible under the register mark Gr and is then raised so as to constitute a support for the gun barrel. The stays Q can then be removed and the removable tracks Q can be let down out of the way. From this moment onward the combined gun barrel and wheeled fore axle can be lifted without effort, and the combination can be rotated horizontally into any position where there is sufiicient room for bringing up the wheeled rear axle conveniently.

To complete the formation of the transport vehicle, it is merely necessary to operate the jack in such a manner as to lower the gun barrel on to the wheeled rear axle. The replacing of the gun barrel upon the gun carriage is effected by reversing the above described sequence of operations. The independent jack Z is placed underneath the register mark G the gun barrel is slightly raised in order to disengage it from the wheeled rear axle; and then the combined gun barrel and fore axle are rotated horizontally 011 the jack, and the gun carriage and the carriage frame N are rotated horizontally on the platform 0, so as to bring the gun barrel and the gun carriage axially in line with each other (position indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. l).

It is preferred that the independent jack shall have the form shown in the drawings, that is to say, that it shall be constructed, as shown in Fig. 3, of two jacks Z, Z, mounted on a common bedplate Z and interconnected by a cross-head Z". This crosshead is formed at its center with a footstep bearing for the pivot pin 9 of a cradle G for supporting the gun barrel.

hat I claim is 1. In transport apparatus for demount ing and remounting guirbarrels, the combination of independently movable forewheeled and rear-wheeled axles placed to re ceive successively and respectively the chase and breech of the gun-barrel as the latter is slid from its carriage, a pivoted collar forming a seat on the fore-wheeled axle for the chase and permitting angular horizontal movement of the gun-barrel relative to the fore-wheeled axle, a. lifting-jack placed beneath the gun-barrel and coacting with the fore-wheeled carriage to support the gunbarrel during the placement of the rearwheeled axle preliminary to receiving the breech of the gun-barrel subsequently lowered thereon by the lifting-jack and a cradle pivoted on the lifting-jack to form a seat for the gurrbarrel and to permit horizontal angular movement of the gun-barrel relative to the lifting-jack.

2. In transport apparatus for demounting and remounting gun-barrels, the combination of independently movable fore-wheeled and rearwheeled axles placed to receive successively and respectively the chase and breech of the gun-barrel as the latter is slid from its carriage, a lifting-jack placed beneath the gun-barrel and coacting with the fore-wheeled axle to support the gun-barrel during the placement of the rear-wheeled axle n'eliminary to receiving the breech of the gun-barrel subsequently lowered thereon by the lifting-jack and a cradle pivoted on the lifting-jack to form a seat for the gun-barrel and to permit horizontal angular movement of the gun-barrel relative to the lifting-jack.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER. 

